Taliban Attacks Afghanistan's Election Headquarters

Taliban militants have attacked Afghanistan's election headquarters, the latest in a series of assaults ahead of next week's presidential election.

Afghan officials say militants fired explosives into the Independent Election Commission in Kabul, on Saturday, shortly before a news conference was due to begin.

Witnesses say election officials took cover in special safe rooms in the heavily fortified building.

A Kabul police spokesman told VOA that five militants were killed during the attack, which led to a gunbattle between militants and security forces. Two police force members were injured.

A deputy spokesman for the interior ministry told VOA the insurgents launched the attack from a nearby house. Witnesses say the militants were dressed in burqas, a traditional covering used by women in Afghanistan.

The Taliban has vowed to deliver a campaign of violence to disrupt the April 5 presidential election, which it says is a Western sham.

On Tuesday, Taliban militants stormed a separate elections office in Kabul. Afghan officials say 10 people were killed, including five militants.